3 ms·

Ibram X. Kendi is one person. You can find individuals who espouse any view you want. The question is are there any large groups actually pushing for this. Thou

Ibram X. Kendi is one person. You can find individuals who espouse any view you want. The question is are there any large groups actually pushing for this. Though the parent didn't, I would s/large/mainstream/ because the internet makes it easy to find large groups of people talking about any old topic.

zepto 5y ago
> Ibram X. Kendi is one person. This is essentizlly false. Ibram X. Kendi is a Harvard professor, author, and widely published by the New York Times, the Atlantic, etc. He is literally a leader of a large group of people pushing for exactly the views he espouses.
- jensensbutton 5y ago
  So what is the large group he leads? Or are you saying anyone that has listened to what he had to say, e.g. people who've read his columns or taken his classes or colleagues, are part of his "group"? Your second statement does not follow from the first.
  - zepto 5y ago
    Yes it does. He is an academic leader, and he is widely considered to be a leader in antiracist thought. You are free to claim that he isn’t, but there is a preponderance of evidence that he is. “IBRAM X. KENDI is one of America’s foremost historians and leading antiracist scholars.”
    - jensensbutton 5y ago
      But that's my point. Being a leading scholar and leading a large group of people toward some end are entirely different things.
      - zepto 5y ago
        Sure, in some abstract world, but to make that claim about Kendi, you have to ignore what he has written and said, and most of what has been written about him. “Dr. Kendi strives to be a hardcore antiracist” “In 2020, The Root 100 listed him as the seventh most influential African American between the ages of 25 and 45 and the most influential college professor.” We know what his goals are, and we know that he is independently regarded as extremely influential. He is de facto leading people towards his goals. What isn’t clear is why you’d try to claim otherwise. He certainly wouldn’t.
        angelzen 5y ago
        OP: 'How many divisions does Kendi have?'. [Side conversation] As to the why question, consider: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-we-blame/201709/willful-ignorance-and-self-deception https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-we-blame/201709/... > Willful ignorance occurs when individuals realize at some level of consciousness that their beliefs are probably false, or when they refuse to attend to information that would establish their falsity. > In contrast to this sort of willful ignorance, self-deception occurs when individuals believe false things with complete conviction. We are all subject to these kinds of cognitive biases. The best we can hope is to learn some of our own and try to avoid them. Likely we will fail most of the time :(
        zepto 5y ago
        > Willful ignorance occurs when individuals realize at some level of consciousness that their beliefs are probably false, or when they refuse to attend to information that would establish their falsity. It’s not always clear what is willful ignorance, and what is a rhetorical device.
j4kp07 5y ago
In other words, a subjective opinion is being asked that anyone can disagree with and similar to "cancel culture", we're just going to pretend this does not exist.
everdrive 5y ago
This goes in both directions, though, and it's a problem with modern internet-fueled politics and discourse. No one truly speaks for a group in many cases, but nonetheless a group can be seen to have a certain character and set of values. Surely amorphous groups cannot be beyond criticism?
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

zepto 5y ago

> Ibram X. Kendi is one person. This is essentizlly false. Ibram X. Kendi is a Harvard professor, author, and widely published by the New York Times, the Atlantic, etc. He is literally a leader of a large group of people pushing for exactly the views he espouses.

jensensbutton 5y ago
So what is the large group he leads? Or are you saying anyone that has listened to what he had to say, e.g. people who've read his columns or taken his classes or colleagues, are part of his "group"? Your second statement does not follow from the first.
- zepto 5y ago
  Yes it does. He is an academic leader, and he is widely considered to be a leader in antiracist thought. You are free to claim that he isn’t, but there is a preponderance of evidence that he is. “IBRAM X. KENDI is one of America’s foremost historians and leading antiracist scholars.”
  - jensensbutton 5y ago
    But that's my point. Being a leading scholar and leading a large group of people toward some end are entirely different things.
    - zepto 5y ago
      Sure, in some abstract world, but to make that claim about Kendi, you have to ignore what he has written and said, and most of what has been written about him. “Dr. Kendi strives to be a hardcore antiracist” “In 2020, The Root 100 listed him as the seventh most influential African American between the ages of 25 and 45 and the most influential college professor.” We know what his goals are, and we know that he is independently regarded as extremely influential. He is de facto leading people towards his goals. What isn’t clear is why you’d try to claim otherwise. He certainly wouldn’t.
      - angelzen 5y ago
        OP: 'How many divisions does Kendi have?'. [Side conversation] As to the why question, consider: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-we-blame/201709/willful-ignorance-and-self-deception https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-we-blame/201709/... > Willful ignorance occurs when individuals realize at some level of consciousness that their beliefs are probably false, or when they refuse to attend to information that would establish their falsity. > In contrast to this sort of willful ignorance, self-deception occurs when individuals believe false things with complete conviction. We are all subject to these kinds of cognitive biases. The best we can hope is to learn some of our own and try to avoid them. Likely we will fail most of the time :(
        zepto 5y ago
        > Willful ignorance occurs when individuals realize at some level of consciousness that their beliefs are probably false, or when they refuse to attend to information that would establish their falsity. It’s not always clear what is willful ignorance, and what is a rhetorical device.

j4kp07 5y ago

In other words, a subjective opinion is being asked that anyone can disagree with and similar to "cancel culture", we're just going to pretend this does not exist.

everdrive 5y ago

This goes in both directions, though, and it's a problem with modern internet-fueled politics and discourse. No one truly speaks for a group in many cases, but nonetheless a group can be seen to have a certain character and set of values. Surely amorphous groups cannot be beyond criticism?

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]